My Coast – Norah Head

The A-Z of the Central Coast, NSW, Australia

Welcome to the fourteenth installment of my photo blog exploring my local area, the Central Coast. This week’s destination is Norah Head.

N- Norah Head

Norah Head is situated on the north eastern side of the Central Coast. It is a headland that was originally known as Bungaree Noragh Point. It is a 45 minute drive from my house. Norah Head is a small residential suburb, with the nearest town of Toukley being a couple of kilometres away.

Looking north towards Norah Head Lighthouse

There are a couple of cafes to eat at, The Ark and Bombora. The Ark has dining inside and outside and the menu looks really good. We chose to bring a picnic lunch on the Sunday we visited so I can’t say for sure how good either cafe is. The main reason we came to Norah Head was for the rugged beach, rockpools and the most famous landmark, the lighthouse.

Norah Head Lighthouse

Norah Head lighthouse was the last major lighthouse built in New South Wales. It was built way back in 1903 and stands 27m tall. The lighthouse is active still to this day, and you can see from the rugged cliffs and rocks that surround the coastline that the ships in the area are very grateful for its presence. Before it was built many ships were wrecked on the surrounding coast.

View to the south from the top of the lookout

The lighthouse flashes once every 15 seconds and can be seen from 25 nautical miles away (50km). The main light is 46m above sea level and is complemented by a continuous red light that can be seen from the northeast and a green light towards the southwest. During World War 2 there were battles between the Japanese Navy and the Merchant Navy just off of the headland.

The rocks underneath the lighthouse

My favourite part of Norah Head, and the kids as well, is the rockpools. There are many of these that fill up with the rising tides and are perfect for exploring. We managed to see plenty of animal life in the pools, from Sea Snails and tiny fishes through to our favourite, the crab!

Looking back from the rock shelf back up the lighthouse with the steep winding walkway

We went for a walk over the rocks. Some of the pools went right up to the waistline of Ruby and Ryan and some of them were really shallow. As it was a beautiful spring morning, in glorious sunshine, there were many families who had the same idea as us. You can walk right the way around the headland from the steps under the lighthouse and round to the north to a sandy beach.

Family snap of my wife Tash, and my son Ryan

While we were out on the rocks it was becoming increasingly obvious that this would be a perfect place for an impromptu family photo shoot. The kids were really happy and I managed to get some really good shots. My daughter, Ruby, got to try her hand at a bit of photography as well, and has proved even at the age of 3 she takes a very good photo! I am really keen to come back here for a client shoot as the rocks and lighthouse provide a picturesque backdrop. We finished our Sunday morning here with a picnic in the park followed by the obligatory stop at a children’s playpark!

Spring blooms on the edge of the beach

Norah Head is definitely one of my favourite places on the Central Coast and is a fantastic spot for a family day out. Thank you very much for reading. The next stop on my tour of the Central Coast will be Ourimbah

2 thoughts on “My Coast – Norah Head”

Stunning pictures Mark. I’ve been only once to New South Wales, and didn’t have a chance to explore beyond Sydney. The problem with Australia is that it’s so big and there’s so much to see, one is always unsure where to begin 🙂